


from somewhere, someone is talking to me

by treasuredom



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Small Town, Angst with a Happy Ending, Birds, Character Death, Coming of age (?), Curses, Dark, Dark Magic, Does this make sense?, Fantasy, Forests, Horror, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Emotional Abuse, Mystery, Non-Graphic Violence, Non-Linear Narrative, Not Really Character Death, Pining, aka attempt at horror, these tags are all over the place
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27992823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treasuredom/pseuds/treasuredom
Summary: “You’re lying,” Yeosang hissed in pain, stumbling backwards against the thorny thickets. “You can’t be Seonghwa.”‘Seonghwa’ stepped forward. “Yeosang,” he began softly. “It’s me.”“No!” Yeosang shrieked. “Seonghwa died years ago! Everyone saw it with their own eyes.”“Their own eyes?” The man (if he could even be called that) in front of him laughed mockingly. “Are you sure they did?”or; When Yeosang was ten, his best friend disappeared without any trace.And now eight years later, he wants to disappear as well.
Relationships: Kang Yeosang/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	from somewhere, someone is talking to me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this entire fic was inspired by seonghwa's mama outfit lmao
> 
> **before you read, this fic will contain:**
> 
> \- mentions of violence and emotional/psychological abuse  
> \- some dark and fucked up shit  
> \- additional trigger warnings will be provided on top of individual chapters 
> 
> and yea that's more or less it. also english is not my first OR second language, so i apologize for any errors in advance! 
> 
> (yes you read the tags correctly there are birds in this fic lol) enjoy!! :D
> 
> title taken from ateez's 'illusion'

No one knew when exactly the tales came to existence.

Word had it that they had been passed down from generation to generation, since such a long time that people were sure it spanned over a few centuries.

One couldn’t be so sure, of course, but such a thing was not improbable.

Their town was somewhat small but secure. It was a pleasantly comfortable area where more or less everyone knew each other.

Nothing grand or unusual ever happened there. Just the same old town, standing still in midst of the continuous hustle and bustle of the rest of the world.

Time appeared to have no effect on the several brick houses lining the streets, which had been present there since a long long time. Longer than anyone could remember.

Grandparents told their grandchildren that they had spent their childhood in the same homes, which had then belonged to their grandparents.

The older generations still living boasted of how these houses had been the properties of their ancestors, standing magnificently even after such tedious decades.

Their town may be small, but its vibrancy remained untouched from the sapping effect of time.

That’s all their lives had been confined to through all the years. The same sequestered little place, undisturbed and uninterrupted.

Some called it dull. Some found it fascinating. 

People were born there. People died there. It became an endless cycle.

All of them went to the same school. All of them shopped at the same stores. All of them celebrated the same festivals.

All of them had grown up hearing the same Stories.

Stories about the Forest present on the outskirts of their town.

At first it seemed nothing other than ordinary. It was just like any other forest, perhaps a tad bit denser and darker than usual, but not at all exceptional or anything.

People spoke of it as if it were a mystical entity in itself. They regarded it as something mysterious and powerful.

It was said that the deep, gloomy woods contained horrors that should never be revealed. Some even went out of their way to proclaim that it was the hub of everything paranormal in the world.

 _Never go within a five mile radius of the Forest,_ hushed whispers floated around in stealth, as if afraid the woods might overhear and take offense. _It will lull you in. You will lose control of your mind and body, and before you know it, you’ll be long gone!_

Those who entered the Forest never came out.

Yeosang had first heard about the Forest from his mother, back when they used to have a proper relationship.

Back when he was a little kid and his family wasn’t in shambles.

He hadn’t thought much of it back then. Most of the stories, he believed, were extremely exaggerated lore spun up just to put unwilling children in bed late at night.

They were extremely popular bedtime stories, and they did work their magic most of the time.

Most of the Stories were myths theorizing about how the Forest came to be, how someone came to know about its dark nature, and why one should remain cautious of it at all times.

“If you don’t go to sleep at time,” his mother used to say, “the Forest will get to you. Late into the night, you’ll hear its songs. It’ll bewitch you till you’re nothing but a mindless puppet. It will drag you by the strings into its depths and make you a slave for itself.”

Five year old Yeosang often wanted to argue that their house was far away from the woods and there was no way any song could reach his ears through cold windows. But he was easy to get exhausted, and before he could will himself to open his mouth, he was fast asleep.

Though he was little, he knew it was all fabricated rumors.

It was unknown who had initially started the Stories in the first place. Perhaps it was by someone who had been living even before the Forest existed. Perhaps it was someone who had lost a dear one to its spell.

Or maybe it was just a mindless drunkard who had blabbed this tale to a much gullible audience who had somehow believed it and spread it further by distorting a few facts here and there.

Whatever the case may be, what had been done was done.

No one could look at the Forest as a simple forest anymore, not without being reminded of the Stories their parents said.

It became a fascinating subject. Children huddled together to theorize about it as if it was one of the greatest conspiracy theories to ever exist.

The fascination, however, never lasted long for anyone.

There was a fence on the border of the town, topped with barbed wires, to prevent anyone from getting too close to the woods. Beyond the fence, they said, the Forest held enough power to haul you in.

Was it really necessary for safety? Many would say no. But superstitions have a captivating hold on the mind.

At least the fence calmed down their anxieties, especially for the older citizens. Better safe than sorry. Even if the cause of said anxieties was undoubtedly fictitious.

Of course, that didn’t stop people from casually visiting the safe side of the fence, often present there to get a good look at the jungle that held such a vast reputation of terrorizing the common folk.

Gradually it became a common place to hang out, more of a tourist spot than anything. Not that anyone visited their little countryside town in the first place. Many were rather eager to leave it.

Yeosang had visited the Barrier (what everyone had collectively decided to nickname the fence since it was more fitting to the spooky vibe) several times as a kid, be it alone or with friends.

Things which are supposed to be scary don’t seem much scary from a distance.

Similarly, the Forest didn’t quite strike as anything abnormal to many either.

The more Yeosang stared at it, the less impressed he was.

What could be so scary about some enormous expanses of an assortment of tall trees? Other than the usual wild beasts and poisonous insects?

Once kids grow up, their faith in myths and magic grows dimmer and dimmer. They begin to relate stuff to science and facts.

It was the twenty-first century already. Who would even be convinced of such stuff these days?

The Stories were still told to little ones. After all, it was tradition, and they did make nice tales to narrate indeed.

But that’s what they remained as. Just stories.

Just folktales that had been around since the time of their great great ancestors.

Not recounts of reality.

That’s what most thought.

Slowly, not many paid any attention to the Forest.

After all, grown-ups had much to worry about other than a silly story told to children, and kids were more hooked up with school and games to do the same.

The Forest, which had not seemed like a forest, slowly returned to being a normal forest.

The only ones who still believed in it were little children under the age of six and old people over the age of seventy, who were stubbornly certain that the Stories were, in fact, true.

That was how life went on in the little town.

Monotonous, but not very boring, with the only slightly interesting events being the fishing competitions every few months and the cake club. Nothing remarkable, so to say.

The town was beautiful, but wasn’t suitable for those who desired a change.

Everyone was more or less used to it. There were many who found it comforting. Those who couldn’t tolerate it left town to settle down in the city.

Thus, everyone continued with their routine.

People still frequented the Barrier, because why not? The view was nice, and the grassy area was perfect for having picnics.

The Forest was far away, and even if it was near, there was no way it could really be harmful.

Nothing would happen.

Until one day, something _did_ happen.

One of the kids Yeosang’s age vanished from his house.

Word had it that the boy’s parents had last seen him the night before, but in the morning, his room was empty.

The bedsheets were neatly made. The door and windows were locked from inside.

Where could’ve he gone?

Panic struck the little town. There was a frantic search to find the missing child. Police from the nearest city were hired as well. But the entire task was in vain.

Even after a week, the child couldn’t be located.

Sometime later, the officers dropped the case.

The incident, which had brought about a wave of grief, gave rise to mumbled whispers once again.

The intense feeling of fear returned.

Townsfolk speculated among themselves.

They had belittled the Forest for a long time. So finally the Forest had had enough. It took its revenge, showed that it could ensnare anyone it desired. Nobody would have the arrogance to doubt its power anymore.

And from that day onwards, people added the boy’s disappearance to the list of bedtime Stories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was short because it's just a simple prologue. following chaps will be longer don't worry
> 
> i don't have a specific update schedule for this unfortunately because i'll be quite busy with college stuff in the next few weeks
> 
> if you liked this, please leave kudos and comments! i'd love to hear what you think of this!! :>


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